Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

This week I’ve finally managed to catch up on my blog feeds. Since I write historical romance, among other genres, I subcribe to several blogs that feature info from the past. My favorites are the posts that feature social history and little tidbits about everyday normal things. I thought I’d share some of the posts I enjoyed.

At Word Wenches, I came across the following:Keeping it Clean: Georgian and Regency Bathing Habits by Joanna Bourne. Ms. Bourne explores exactly how clean our forebears were. “…And water. They had ‘running water’ of a sort. They sent a footman to run and get it.”

A Tale of Buttons by Anne Gracie. This article brought back fond memories of playing with all the buttons in my mother’s button tin. Anne talks about buttons through the ages and there are some cool pictures of button hooks.

Over at Historical Hussies Leigh Michaels talked about The Regency Season The season was actually when parliament was in session. The men brought their wives with them to London. The women required entertainment while their men were busy, thus the season was born with its balls and other outings.

A post by Donna Hatch about Regency Fragrances caught my attention. It was exactly what I needed to work out my Gothic hero’s scent.

Now traveling to more modern times…

Author Allison Brennan wrote a wonderful post called Money Can’t Buy Love at Murder She Writes. It’s all about Self-Promotion and Word of Mouth.

CJ Redwine addresses this question – How do I raise the stakes and make the conflict matter to the reader? in her post Write a HolyCowAwesome story

And last but not least – I’m doing a giveaway over at Goodreads. Enter the draw to win one of two copies of The Bottom Line.

Do you have any favorite blog feeds that you subscribe to?

My special guest today is Ari Thatcher, a fellow author with Ellora’s Cave. In fact, we shared a release date last week. Today Ari is talking about one of my favorite character types–the reformed rake. Over to Ari…

My first love in romance novels is historicals, preferably Regency era. The plots are basically the same, he’s in his thirties, has had his share of lovers, and is ready to settle down. She’s younger and more innocent – well, in a Regency she is innocent, unless we’re talking erotic Regency romance. With as many of those stories as I have read, it’s no wonder I had to write Kyle’s Redemption.

Since it’s a contemporary romance, we know what Kyle’s redeeming himself from, right? But we’ll be nice and call it shallow relationships. A shallow relationship offers all the benefits of a relationship without the involvement of his heart. If the woman/partner on the other end of the deal isn’t expecting more, then he’s not a bad guy.

Face it, in many of us there is a turning point where we realize we’re ready to commit. In real life, experts say it’s often a matter of timing if you’re lucky enough to stumble upon the perfect guy when he’s made the mental shift. In romance, it’s more fun to think he sees the error in his ways once he meets the heroine.

In Kyle’s Redemption I took it a step further and made Kyle understand what a…well, prick, he’s been in the past. Since today we no longer have society’s pressure to marry and beget an heir, our modern-day heroes need a lightbulb moment when they realize the heroine is worth making the extra effort for, something that forces them to look inside and admit they need to grow as a lover.

Now, the ultimate fun is when you take that moment, have your hero bend over backwards to make an impression, and your heroine is unimpressed. A strong woman knows she’s worth working for. She expects it. And she won’t be swayed by pretty words and acts.

A strong heroine will settle for nothing less than her lover’s whole heart offered sincerely, and she’ll make him sweat until he realizes it. Hopefully I’ve accomplished that with Lily, and the reader is fully satisfied by the ending. I know Kyle and Lily were!

Kyle’s Redemption Available at Ellora’s Cave

Blurb

Six years ago, Lily Astor looked forward to establishing herself in the Los Angeles art world. In one painfully public moment, those dreams were shattered. Now she has the chance to try again, but the invitation to exhibit comes from a gallery owned by Kyle Ventura. The man who should have cleared her name.

After a night of eyebrow-singeing sex, Kyle realizes who Lily is, and his role in her downfall. Now, as his heart falls deeper for Lily, he needs to make amends. But Lily doesn’t want his help, just his body.

For the first time in his life, sex isn’t enough for Kyle. He wants to show Lily he’s not the man he was six years ago. But first, he has to prove it to himself.

Ari Thatcher

Do you enjoy reading stories with reformed rakes? Do you prefer historical or modern-day ones?